project44 and McLeod Software partner up for LTL API integration solution

Chicago-based project44, a technology services provider offering standardized, secure Web service API (application programming interfaces) integrations enabling 3PLs and shippers to connect with carriers in real time, and Birmingham, Ala.-based McLeod Software, a provider of trucking, dispatch, and logistics software announced this week they are collaborating on what they called a “modern connectivity integration solution.”

The companies said this collaboration will provide McLeod PowerBroker (its integrated freight brokerage operations management system and a complete accounting software solution) users with access to project44’s less-than-truckload (LTL) API-based offerings.

And they explained that PowerBroker users, which are comprised of strategic and tactical 3PLs and shippers, will now be equipped with instant and normalized carrier data from asset and non-asset based companies connected into project44’s network, with transport movements happening in different models.

McLeod and project44 outlined the API transactions that are now part of the PowerBroker interface, including:

• Automatically secure accurate carrier quotes, including base rates and accessorial charges, with limited manual intervention. This incorporates any customer specific pricing that a customer might receive;
• Access live lane-by-lane transit time calculations, including weekend and holiday days, to increase carrier selection confidence and better meet customer expectations; and
•  Tender loads to and retrieve real-time shipment status updates from the connected LTL carriers, accelerating visibility during transportation execution while improving internal efficiency

Tommy Barnes, project 44 president, told LM in an interview that this collaboration is an exciting milestone.

“We are seeing the changes in this industry happen right in front of us, with people starting to move towards the right type of communication technology to power the industry and the communications stream,” he said. “Being in a platform TMS like McLeod, which is an evolving and dynamic organization, is powerful. What drove that is McLeod’s perspective that APIs are the future and that they have to have a mechanism to accomplish that, which project 44 has done.”

Another major driver, explained Barnes, is customer demand, as there are many customers in this space clamoring for this type of communications stream and technology to be able to power their models.

While this development is currently one with an LTL theme, Barnes said he envisions it becoming a bigger story soon, as it moves to a multi-modal and global one.

“The new capabilities that project44 is bringing to the market will clearly offer a competitive advantage to logistics companies who are managing LTL freight for their customers,” said McLeod Software Founder and CEO, Tom McLeod in a statement. “We are very happy that we have been able to work with project44 in bringing this integration solution between our products to market so quickly, to make that competitive edge available to McLeod PowerBroker user.”

From a competitive perspective, Barnes said other parties such as rate bureaus are putting out what he called “defensive” APIs in an effort to maintain their monopoly over the base rate revenue they have, including base rate licensing fees that they don’t want to be exposed to a rated API.

“When we deploy rating APIs, it takes the revenue away,” he said. “What other parties are doing defensively is deploying tracking APIs to the market to keep people out of rating APIs, which is what we do. They will tell you they have rated APIs, but they only do that one transaction at a time as they force big licensing fees payments to shippers and 3PLs as their core revenue stream. In my mind, this blocks commerce.”